MLB Player News

Manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday that Alvarez will be withheld from baseball activities for "three to four days" while the slugger manages knee soreness, Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Alvarez's shutdown seems to be precautionary more than anything, but until he re-enters the Astros' Grapefruit League lineup, his status will be one worth tracking. Alvarez is expected to occupy a spot in the heart of the Houston lineup in 2020 after an exceptional rookie campaign in which he posted a .412 on-base percentage, 27 home runs and 78 RBI in just 87 games with the big club.

Solak started in center field and went 0-for-3 in Tuesday's spring game against the Giants.

Solak made his fourth start and played his sixth game in center field Tuesday as the Rangers continue to evaluate the infielder for a shift to the outfield. Texas manager Chris Woodward will also give him starts at third base, T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports. The manager wants to get Solak's bat in the lineup, whether that be in center or third. If it's third base, then Todd Frazier could move across the diamond to first base, where neither Ronald Guzman (.176) nor Greg Bird (.067) has grabbed hold of the open spot.

Miller (back) is slated to return to Grapefruit League action Saturday against the Astros, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Miller, who's hitting .300 over his first four spring games, was scratched from Sunday's game against the Astros with back stiffness. Miller will remain out through the next two games Wednesday and Thursday, and he'll get an extra day of rest on Friday's team off day before jumping back into action.

Alvarez's removal from the lineup for Tuesday's game against St. Louis was due to soreness in his knees, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager Dusty Baker didn't sound particularly concerned, calling the lineup change precautionary. It sounds as though Alvarez is expected to be fine by Opening Day, though that won't be entirely clear until he returns to the lineup.

Alvarez was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cardinals for undisclosed reasons, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

If the young slugger is dealing with an injury, that should be revealed at manager Dusty Baker's upcoming press conference. Alvarez is looking to build on his incredible rookie season, which saw him win Rookie of the Year despite playing in just 87 games. He hit .313/.412/.655 with 27 homers.

Stanton (calf) isn't expected to be ready to play by Opening Day, but he is expected to play at some point in April, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.

Stanton suffered a Grade 1 right calf strain in late February. His readiness for Opening Day was in doubt from the start, but the injury wasn't considered likely to keep him out all that long. It appears that his prognosis hasn't meaningfully changed one week later, though it remains to be seen if "some point in April" is closer to the beginning or the end of the month.

Pederson (side/hip) is able to take batting practice but expects his first game appearance to be in minor-league camp, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Though Pederson has been ramping up his intensity in the batting cage, his comments Monday suggest that he isn't close to taking the field. Manager Dave Roberts has likewise indicated that the team's focus is on getting Pederson healthy rather than rushing him toward readiness for Opening Day, casting significant doubt on the outfielder's status for the March 26 opener.

Buxton (shoulder) is close to participating in live batting practice in the next few days, MLB.com reports. "The recovery couldn't have really gone any better to this point," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "That being said, we don't have it mapped out as far as when we're going to get him out there to play."

Buxton underwent surgery on his torn labrum in September, placing his availability for Opening Day in some question. He had stood in during live batting practice before, but according to this report did not take full swings. It's thought that he'll be ready for the start of the season, but it would be encouraging to see him ramp up activity in the next week as this report doesn't make it sound like he's as far along as thought when spring training began. He may only appear in a few spring training games before the regular season begins if all goes well.

Lewis has gone 2-for-12 with a home run, two RBI and a 2:3 BB:K through his first five Cactus League games.

Despite submitting rather underwhelming numbers at the minor-league level, Lewis was allowed to bypass Triple-A entirely and make the jump to the majors last September. The 24-year-old made an immediate impression in his first taste of the big leagues, posting an .885 OPS in 75 plate appearances to give him the inside edge on a full-time role in the Seattle outfield heading into 2020. A poor spring won't necessarily kill Lewis' chances of breaking camp with the big club, but there's still reason to be skeptical of his chances of sticking in Seattle all season. Even amid his success in the majors last season, he struck out a whopping 38.7 percent of the time, which was up nearly 10 points from his rate at Double-A Arkansas (29.4 percent).

Carpenter (back) will start at third base and bat third in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Twins, Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

A bout of back tightness kept Carpenter out of the lineup for the Cardinals' previous four spring games, but the veteran gained clearance to rejoin the starting nine after he was able to complete full workouts over the weekend without incident. Before his brief shutdown, Carpenter had made two starts this spring, going 2-for-4 at the dish.